Hire and Rental News - Access in Action - May 2019

ACCESS IN ACTION Shitbox Rally, over 3600km in a car worth less than $1k! Jason Cranmer from Skyjack and Casey Law from Queensland Access have taken on the Shitbox Rally challenge this year and plan to drive a vehicle purchased for less than $1000 3614km from Melbourne to Townsville, via Birdsville. A nd to make things more interesting, it will be modified to look like a scissor lift with a deck on top! The dynamic duo is looking for sponsors and donations to raise funds for their supported charity – the Cancer Council. To speed things along, they will bring the vehicle to HIRE19 to showcase the event and highlight the need for donations to the charity. So get out your wallets and get ready for a spectacle. HIRE19 is gearing up to be something special. 1. How did the idea of entering the Shitbox Rally come about? Around 2013-14 I was shown a video of the Rally and straight away wanted to get involved, I signed up the next year and after two or three years on the wait list I finally got accepted. They have such a high retention and application rate it can be hard to get on. Once I had the spot I was telling Jason about it and we decided it would be a great way to raise some money for a good cause and have a laugh along the way. 2. What was the motivation? The motivation for the fund raising is pretty simple, like most people, we have both lost family members and loved ones to cancer. We also work in an industry where members and staff spend a great deal of time in the sun, so are also very skin cancer aware. For this reason we thought a charity event supporting the cancer council was very appropriate. 3. Tell me about the car/shitbox. We have a very old Commercial van / Hiace, however it will be hard to recognise the van since it will be skinned to look like a scissor lift hopefully covered in sponsor logos. We are using a van for a few reasons. One, we have plenty of space for sponsors and design work to make the vehicle stand out; and two, somewhere for one of us to sleep if the weather comes in or we can’t be bothered putting up a tent. 4. What are the entry requirements for the Rally? There are really only a few entry requirements. The Car is worth 1k or less, and I can’t stress worth 1k enough. For example: if I can buy a $2000 car for 1k that doesn’t count and Jason and I would be made to dance on stage each morning at briefing as punishment for cheating. The other is it must be 2WD even though we will be crossing some seriously tough roads that historically be traversed by trucks and 4WD vehicles. The event is about making it the whole way, anyway you can, and not about who is first. It’s a rally of attrition, not a race. 5. Who will be on your ‘team’? Our team will be made up of just Jason and myself. You are only allowed two members per car. So you can fit others in as their cars break down. We only have two seats, but will be able to carry others in our allocated buddy group’s equipment to free up seating if needed. 6. How much money do you hope to raise – do you have a target? Originally we set a target of $40,000 in early March because we were told this was the record previously set during a rally. With donations and sponsorship, we have already hit $30,000, so have decided to increase this considerably, which is where we need help from the businesses in the HRIA and EWPA. We have a real chance to blow this out of the water and get some real recognition for the Van, the event and most importantly the Cancer Council. The Shit Box Rally has earned well over $17m in the past 10 years for the Cancer Council. 7. Is anyone sponsoring you so far? We have a good number of supplier and rental companies already sponsoring us. With sponsorship you get your company logo on the The Shitbox Rally route for 2019 GMG enters Australia Offering its full line of electric slab scissors, RT scissors and boom lifts, US based access equipment provider GMG is now supplying to the Australian market through its subsidiary GMG Platforms Australia. GMG CEO, Jim Tolle, said the company participated in the HIRE18 HRIA Convention in 2018 to get a feel for the Australian market. “We were very pleased with the outcome, especially the excitement for our overhead warning system (OWS) that is incorporated in our I-Power control systems,” Jim said. “We have been successful throughout the world by producing [MEWPs] that are superior in innovation, quality and performance, but are also economical to purchase. “We are excited to appoint industry professional Martin Eade as our Sales Manager. Martin brings with him many years of MEWP experience and is dedicated to complete customer satisfaction; an important element of GMG’s success,” Jim said. n van and the Shit Box Rally website. Anyone who has sponsored prior to HIRE19 will have their logo on the van at the show. We will also have a sticker printer at the show, so anyone who jumps onboard at the event will have their logo on the van during the show too. 8. Where is the Rally to and from? It’s Melbourne to Townsville. In Spring, teams are driving their Shitboxes 3614kms from Melbourne to Townsville via Birdsville. 9. Will you guys be wearing costumes? We have a team costume which is a set of dungarees and a tee, like Bob the Builder. However everyday there is a dress up theme depending on where we are going and what events are on at the other end. At some stage Jason and I will be in women’s clothing among other interesting costumes. 10. Do you have to finish the rally to get the sponsorship dollars? We just have to show up at the start line, it is a rally of attrition over 400 teams will start. Less them half will finish. 11. Tell me about being at HIRE19. We are working with the Association to get space in the entrance area of in the hall. We really value any personal donations or team sponsorship. As I’ve already mentioned all the sponsers will be added to the van so as we travel to and from the trade show it will be on show. We do plan on driving the van from Melbourne back to Brisbane just to test it out. n For more information or to sponsor the guys as they fundraise for the Shitbox Rally, contact Casey Law at: casey@qldaccess.com.au or Jason Cranmer at: Jason.Cranmer@skyjack.com P32 ACCESS IN ACTION MAY 2019